1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of telephony communications and pertains more particularly to methods and apparatus for negotiating mutual dynamic availability between communications devices connected to a network.
2. Discussion of the State of the Art
In the art of telephony communications, much has been accomplished in connection-establishment technologies using digital shared bandwidth and digital network channels. Presence-based communications networks have been established that enable a subscriber to see if another subscriber is generally busy or available for communication. One example of such presence-based communications is the well-known “I Seek You” (ICQ) network. In general presence-based scenarios, a central server handles generally peer-to-peer connections established between communications appliances based on available presence if real-time communication is desired.
In a general sense, all presence-based protocols that allow voice/video communications use a presence status channel such as Instant Message or a Chat, or posted availability status (available/away/busy, etc.) to determine if there is availability for a conversation to occur between the two parties over a network channel.
One problem with known presence protocol functionality is that conversation context gathering is not formalized. An example of this would be that a problem someone is having can be described in a chat session, but the session is basically free form so the requester is not aware of exactly what the other party needs in order to make the best decision about how to handle the problem or with what resources. Another problem with known presence based protocols is that a participant cannot easily control the mutual availability for a planned or pending conversation. The basic states are statically available or not presented to anyone following the presence of a participant. The participant cannot selectively become available for certain conversations but not others.
Still another problem with typical presence-based solutions is that there is no formal model for negotiating availability between two or more parties. For example, a participant might state in a chat session to one who is currently unavailable, “Can we talk in five minutes”? The person targeted by the request would be required to notice and read the message, to understand the request, and then reply to the request by manually typing a reply. This is not very convenient or efficient in a fast-paced communications environment.
Therefore, what is clearly needed is a system for electronic negotiation of mutual availability between two or more parties intending to communicate, such that the pending communications session is most convenient for all of the parties concerned.